Endless-belt concentrator



(No Model.)

J. JACOBS. ENDLESS BELT GONGENTR ATOR.

Patented July 13. 1897.

rm: nouns "Emu co.. mam'wiwlsummfin. o. a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEI-IU JACOBS, OF HENLEY, CALIFORNIA.

ENDLESS-BELT CONCENTRATOR.

SEECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,311, dated July 13,1897.

Application filed June 4, 1896. Serial No 594,227. (No model.)

To all whont it ntay concern.-

Be it known that I, JEHU J ACOBS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Henley, county of Siskiyou, State of California, haveinvented an Improvement in Endless-Belt Concentrators; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

My invention relates to certain improvements in endless-beltconcentrators.

It consists in details of construction which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a transversesection showin g eccentric adjustment and Vertical adj ustment ofcone-shaft journal-box. Fig. at is an enlarged view of joint-section ofbelt. Figs. 5, 6, '7, and 8 are details to be referred to.

The object of my invention is to provide certain improvements in theoperating mechanism and in the adjustment of that class of concentratorsin which an endless belt is caused to travel about rollers or drums atoppositeends of the apparatus, so as to receive the pulp or material tobe treated, with a sufficient body of water for the purpose to separatethe heavier valuable portions from the lighter waste material, so thatthe former is carried over the upper end of the belt and the latter isdelivered over the lower end.

In my apparatus the endless belt A passes over rollers or drums B and Bat the upper and lower ends, respectively. These rollers are journaledin a frame C,'and this frame is adjusted so that one end is raisedhigher than the other, thus giving the belt any desired amount ofinclination for the work to be done.

The frame 0 is made rigid by means of di-' agonal braces 0, extendingacross its lower portion, so as to prevent any twisting or warping outof shape. The frame 0 has a side shaking motion and asimultaneous upwardor lifting movement of the two sides alternately. This is produced asfollows: Upon stationary frame-timbers D are journaled flanged rollersE, which are adapted to support the bars E. These bars are fixedtransversely across the lower part of the frame 0,

and the ends are tapered or inclined where they rest upon the rollers E,so that when the frame 0 is moved to one side the inclined portionmoving up on the roller E will slightly raise that side of the frame,and with it the belt, while the opposite ends of the bars Fcorrespondingly have an incline which, moving down upon the rollers,will depress that side of the belt. When the table or frame returns inits shake, the opposite tilting motion takes place, and this serves toevenly distribute the pulp upon the belt. The side shaking movement ofthe frame is produced by the action of eccentrics G,which are fixed uponopposite ends of a shaft H, and which are slotted so that they may bemoved on the shaft to increase or decrease the throw and the amplitudeof the shake given to the belt-carryingframe. (See Fig. 6.) This shaftextends longitudinally at one side of the frame and approximatelyparallel with the frame and belt. Power is applied to rotate the shaftby means of a pulley I, from which a beltmay extend to the source ofpower, and by means of eccentric-straps connecting the eccentrics G withthe frame 0 the side oscillations of the latter are produced.

In order to advance the belt up the incline which the position of itssupporting-frame produces, I have shown a worm-gear consisting of thetoothed wheel J, fixed upon one end of the shaft of the upper roller B,and a screw or worm J, journaled on the frame 0 so as to engage thisgear. In order to transmit motion to this Worm-gear, which necessarilypartakes of the side shaking motion, I have shown a long shaft K, oneend of which is made rectangular or polygonal and slightly tapering andis adapted to enter a correspondingly-shaped opening in the end of theworm-gear or screw J, as shown in Fig. 5. This shaft K extends alongparallel with the shaft H and close to the shaking frame 0, and itsopposite end is similarly connected with a cone L, which is j ournaledin stationary bearings upon the main frame.

The cone L corresponds with a reverse cone L, which is fixed upon theshaft H, so that a belt extending between these two cones transmitsmotion from the shaft H and produces a rotary motion of the shaft K,thus turning the screw J and the gear J and drum l3 and graduallyadvancing the belt toward the upper end. The position of the belt uponthe two cones determines the rate of speed at which the belt travels. 7

By reason of the length of the shaft K and the peculiar flexibleconnection of its ends it will be seen that motion may be transmittedthrough it from the rotary cone L, which has no shaking motion, to theworm or screw J at the opposite end, which partakes of the motion of thetable or frame and belt, without binding or preventing the free actionof the parts.

The cone L has its shaft journaled in boxes which are vertically movableby means of a screw M, turnable in vertical bearings, and the box orjournal of the pulley L has a screwthreaded extension N, which fits andtravels upon the screw when the latter is turned. This allows the pulleyL to be depressed, so that any slack in the belt connecting it and thepulley L may be taken up and the belt caused to run at proper tension.

The rollers Band B, over which the belt A passes, are connected with theframe 0 by the angular truss-frames G which carry the journal-boxes'ofthe rollers. The journal-box of the roller B is not movable upon theframe; but the journal-box of the roller B is made movable along ahorizontally-slotted support 0 by means of a screw P, which is connectedwith the frame C and upon which a screwthreaded nut from the journal-boxis adapted to travel, so that when the screws are turned thejournal-boxes of the roller B may be moved, so as to regulate thetension of the belt A. The upper surface of the belt A travels overhorizontally-journaled rollers Q, supported upon the shaking frame 0.

In order to retain the pulp and water upon the surface of the belt as ittravels between the rollers B and B, I have shown independ ent cones R,which turn loosely upon the shafts of the rollers Q. This is necessarybecause the outer ends of the cones, being of greater diameter than theshaft, would naturally move at a different rate of speed as the belttravels over them. Consequently by allowing the cones to turn freelythese different rates of speed will not produce the rubbing and frictionupon the belt which would occur if the rollers and cones were joinedtogether. The cones are also made movable for the purpose of adjustingthem to and from each other. This is done by the employment of washersS, Fig. 7, having approximately the same diameter as the rollers Q, andthese washers are placed between the inner ends of the cones R and theouter ends of the rollers Q, thus practically forming an extension ofthe rollers, so as to fit the belt while the latter' is new and havingthe greatest width, the edges of the belt turning up on the inclinedcones, as before described.

hen the belt becomes contracted and narrower, it is necessary to liftthe shafts of the rollers out of their boxes or bearings on the frame 0,which are open on the top for that purpose, and the cones and washersmay be slipped off and rearranged with one or more of the washersexterior to the cones, thus allowing the latter to be moved toward thecenter, and when thus arranged the edge of the belt will again inclineproperly upon the surfaces of the cones. There may be as many of thesewashers as it is found necessary to use to properly adjust the belt asits width varies with use.

The roller-shaft boxes are open on top and closed at the ends, so thatthe ends of the shafts abut against these closed ends and prevent anyindependent end movement of the rollers.

The cones which are the nearest to the drums B and B have the leastinclination, and those nearer the center of the space between thesedrums have the greatest incline, so that the belt from beingapproximately i'lat upon the drums B and B gradually assumes a positionin which the edges are raised to the highest point intermediate betweenthese drums.

In order to produce the best results in saving the extremely finesulfurets and heavy valuable material, I have found it preferable tomake my belt in short sections of canvas, which are overlapped andstitched together, and the uppermost section presents its edge in thedirection opposite to which the belt is traveling. This forms a verythin rifiie or obstruction equal in depth to the thickness of thecanvas, and as the pulp flows downwardly over the inclined belt the veryfine valuable particles will be caught in the rough surface of the beltand will be more particularly deposited behind these riflles formed bythe overlapping sections of the canvas.

The lower portion of the belt passes over a roller T, intermediatebetween the rollers. B and B, and this roller has journal-boxes mountedin a swiveling frame U, which depends from the shaking frame C. Adjacentto thisswiveling frame is a fixed hanger V, through the lower end ofwhich passes a screw W. The point of this screw abuts against or isconnected with the swinging bar U, and by turning the screw this bar andthe supported roller will be moved forward or back. This enables me toturn the roller T transversely of the belt at a greater or less anglewith the belt, so as to change the direction of the belt to one side orthe other, as may be desired. The bearing-boxes of this roller havedownwardly-projecting shanks or pivots which enter corresponding holesin the swinging support U and are thus allowed to swivel or turn as theposition of the roller is changed, so that the boxes always stand squarewith the journals of the roller and do not bind thereon.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an endless-belt concentrator, a frame having drums or rollers atopposite ends, an endless belt passing around said drums, a. main frameupon which the traveling-belt frame is supported, with mechanism bywhich a transverse oscillating and tilting movement is produced, adriving-pulley journaled upon the stationary frame at one end, having apolygonal opening made in it, a screw or worm journaled upon adownwardly-projecting portion of the oscillating belt-frame and engagingwith a worm-pinion upon the drumshaft, said screwhaving a polygonalopening in the end which faces the driving-pulley, a rigid shaftextending between the drivingpulley and the screw having the endsadapted to fit the openings in the drum and screw without intermediatesupport whereby motion is transmitted from the pulley to the worm-gear.

2. In an endless-belt concentrator, the side shaking frame with itssupporting-bars and rollers, an endless traveling belt passing arounddrums at opposite ends of the frame, a worm-gear connecting with one ofthe drums, a shaft having a tapered end loosely connected with the screwof the gear extending parallel with the shaking frame and connected witha cone-pulley near the opposite end having stationary journals, a framein which the shaft of said cone is journaled, and a screw turnable invertical bearings and engaging a threaded extension of the box orjournal of the cone whereby the cone and its supports are raised ordepressed by the turning of the screw, a shaft journaled parallel withand exterior to the shaft and cone, a second cone fixed upon theexterior shaft and a belt extending between the two, the tension ofwhich is adjustable by the vertical movement of the interior cone.

3. In an cndless-traveling-belt concentrator, a side shaking framehaving drums jouraled at opposite ends around which the belt passes,rollers journaled across the frame intermediate between the drums havingshafts supported in boxes upon the frame, cones fitting and turnableloosely upon said shafts,

and washers having a diameter approximately that of the rollers and theinner ends of the cones, said washers turning loosely upon theroller-shafts and adapted to be transferred from the inner to the outerends of the cones whereby the position of the cones may be adjusted toallow for a shrinkage in the width of the belt.

4:. In an endless-traveling-belt concentrator, the side shaking framewith drums journaled at opposite ends, an endless belt extending aroundthe drums, mechanism by which the belt is caused to travel slowly up theincline between the drums formed bythe position of the supporting-frame,said belt being composed of sections of canvas overlapping and stitchedtogether at intervals whereby a projecting riftle is formed by eachoverlapping edge of the canvas in the direction opposite which the beltis traveling.

5. In an endless-belt concentrator, a side shaking frame with drumsjournaled at opposite ends, an endless belt extending around the drums,mechanism by which the belt is caused to travel slowly up the inclinebetween the drums, intermediate transverselyjournaled rollers by whichthe upper part of the belt is supported, independently loosely rotatablecones and collars upon the shafts exterior to the rollers, the conesnearest the end drums having less inclination than those nearer thecenter of the frame, j ournal-boxes upbn the frame in which the shaftsare supported, said boxes being open at the top,

and having the ends closed so that the ends of the shafts abut againstthe closed box ends and prevent independent transverse oscillation ofthe rollers.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JEHU JACOBS. \Vitnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, J ESSIE C. BRODIE.

